Policy on Signatures

JenniferMurphy

Well-known Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
2,491
Office Version
  1. 365
Platform
  1. Windows
I was just informed (for the second time, it turns out) that newbies cannot have a signature until they have posted something like 100 times. This is idiotic, in my opinion. Are you afraid that we will hurt ourselves?
 
Re: Idiotic policy on signatures

This is a measure to prevent spammers from including links to websites in their signatures.

Once you have passed 50 posts you will be able to add a signature.
 
Re: Idiotic policy on signatures

The cure is worse than the disease.
 
Re: Idiotic policy on signatures

Must you make such remarks? Honestly you could have phrased your question and response in a far more respectful tone!

Only a moderator can measure the success of this policy. As a moderator I can confirm that this policy has considerably reduced the amount of spam and therefore the burden on us. We are volunteers with day jobs and we sometimes get so much spam that it's quite distracting. Many spammers use the signature to post spam links because conspicuous.

Idiotic policy? Not at all!
 
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Re: Idiotic policy on signatures

.. cannot have a signature until they have posted something like 100 times. This is idiotic, in my opinion. Are you afraid that we will hurt ourselves?

The cure is worse than the disease.
Jennifer

You clearly do not have to do the (volunteer) work of keeping the forum clear of spam. Do you have any idea of how much spam is perpetrated (or attempted) on the forum?

Could you explain why having a signature is so important to being able to ask or answer questions in the forum?
 
Re: Idiotic policy on signatures

OK, sorry. I was just frustrated. Perhaps the policy is necessary, but it's very unfriendly to newbies.
 
Re: Idiotic policy on signatures

Peter,

I apologize for the tone. I should have calmed down.

I have a couple of points to make:

1. I routinely put the version of the software I am using in my signature. It eliminates a lot of questions.

2. Your solution may discourage spammers, but it also discourages newbies. I do not like being treated like a spammer.

3. There is no mention anywhere that this is the policy. And most of your veterans don't seem to be aware of it. Check out my post in the main forum. I forgot to mention the version of Excel I was running. When someone asked, I went to put it in the signature. I couldn't find it. I asked where it was, and two different people told me where to look. I ended up posting screen shots to prove that I was not an idiot. Finally, someone told me I was in the penalty box until 100 posts.

Isn't there some other way, such as requiring newbie posts to be vetted by a moderator?

At the very least, you could leave the signature option where it should be, but grey it out with a message saying that I have to make n more posts to be let out of the penalty box. As it is, it's just a mystery and makes the forum appear to be malfunctioning.

I got annoyed because I spend 15-20 minutes tracking down something that, in my opinion, is poorly thought out.
 
Re: Idiotic policy on signatures

1. I routinely put the version of the software I am using in my signature. It eliminates a lot of questions.

I'm afraid that for a few more posts you will need to add "XL2007" or something similar to your question.

2. Your solution may discourage spammers, but it also discourages newbies. I do not like being treated like a spammer.

It was not a decision taken lightly but it has, for the most part, not caused many problems.

Isn't there some other way, such as requiring newbie posts to be vetted by a moderator?

That would make as much, if not more, work for the moderators and be far more inconvenient, especially if the questions were not actually submitted until they were vetted. It would also, in my opinion, involve us treating new posters much more like spammers.

At the very least, you could leave the signature option where it should be, but grey it out with a message saying that I have to make n more posts to be let out of the penalty box. As it is, it's just a mystery and makes the forum appear to be malfunctioning.

That's not a bad idea but I can't say how feasible it is. I'll bring it up with the other mods.
 
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Re: Idiotic policy on signatures

I apologize for the tone. I should have calmed down.
Apology accepted. :)


And just to add to what Rory has said ..
3. There is no mention anywhere that this is the policy.
.. this is also a fair point. Perhaps we could look at re-wording #4 of the Forum Rules and also editing post #2 in that thread. When those were last reviewed it was only links we were focussing on but since then it has become signatures in general. I believe the magic number is 50, not 100.
 
Re: Idiotic policy on signatures

Hi Jennifer,
I do not like being treated like a spammer.
You're not being treated as a spammer, just as an unknown person who we're getting to know better. :)

Spammers don't just lose signatures, they lose account privledges. ;)
 

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